The Boy and the Heron (How Do You Live?)

The Boy and the Heron is perhaps the most complex and enigmatic of all Miyazaki’s films. I was left wondering about its message and the symbolism after watching it a few days ago…  I think that its original Japanese title How Do You Live? captures the essence of this film as Miyazaki’s reflection on life values. Faced with the choice of either saving the world or saving one human, the protagonist in the movie chooses the latter, and that choice feels right. This film made me think for a long time about the eternal question of “how to live”…